Crime:‘Untouchable’ Town boss gang convicted for drugs, gun....

After bringing in thousands of kilograms of class A drugs, a prominent drug dealer was found guilty of leading a drug gang in Luton.

Mohammed Waqas Khan, 35, was the leader of an organized crime ring that was situated in Watford and Luton and was responsible for the nationwide wholesale trafficking of heroin and cocaine.

Khan was identified as the leader of the criminal network by an Eastern Region Special Operations Unit investigation. He had a lieutenant, couriers, and subordinates who kept guns and drugs for him. According to their messages, Khan’s gang was planning to bring in large quantities of class A drugs to sell in the nation. They were frequently selling up to 100 kg of drugs every day.

Khan, of Princes Avenue, Watford, returned to his family’s house in Watford in March 2020 as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, after residing in Dubai in an attempt to evade UK law enforcement. The commencement of Operation Venetic, an international police operation that unearthed thousands of criminals’ EncroChat message exchanges, coincided with his return.

According to Detective Chief Inspector Steve Dowty of the Regional Organised Crime Unit of the ERSOU, Mohammed Waqas Khan believed he was above the law and untouchable. His base was overseas, far from the daily operations of the criminal underworld, and he was content to let others handle his dirty work. But as investigators pieced together a comprehensive picture of his empire’s management, he was presented with a massive amount of information at court.

In April 2020, following searches of the gang members’ houses by Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary, Waqas Khan and his colleagues Mohammed Ahmed, Aris Saghir, and Zakir Farid were taken into custody. Along with cash, six firearms, 180 rounds of ammunition, cocaine, and heroin were found by the officers.

Investigators found that the group was probably importing and distributing hundreds, if not thousands, of kilogrammes of illegal substances after reviewing conversations exchanged between January and April 2020.

Michael Orishadare, 31, of New Hythe Lane, Aylesford, was also found guilty of conspiracy to provide cocaine and heroin during a seven-week trial that concluded on Tuesday, March 19. He was a reliable drug importer who mostly used Tilbury Docks to import cocaine and heroin into the UK through contacts in the Netherlands.

Waqas Khan was found guilty of possessing weapons with the goal to incite fear of violence, conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, and ketamine, and ammunition possession.

The two join the five other Luton gang members convicted thus far: Lieutenant Aris Saghir, 35, of Kenilworth Road, Luton, was a subordinate of Waqas Khan. He was in charge of hiring criminals, supervising the couriers, and transporting and selling the drugs.

Mohammed Ahmed, 39, a storekeeper on Avondale Road in Luton, was in charge of the group’s cocaine stash in addition to six firearms and 180 rounds of ammunition. In November 2022, he was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison.

Mohammed Shergul Khan, 37, of Dunstable Road, Luton, was also imprisoned at the same time and given a 15-year sentence. He was a courier and storekeeper who was detained in Luton while waiting to meet another dealer. He had 23 kg of cocaine, 25 kg of heroin, and other drugs.

Aftab Ayub, 34, of Ascot Road, Luton, was apprehended while attempting to go to Luton on the M1 with 20 kg of cocaine. In November 2022, he was sentenced to eight years in jail.

The OCG also employed Zakir Farid, a 24-year-old courier from Griffin Court in Luton. On behalf of the gang, he was trusted to go to Tilbury and retrieve substantial quantities of Class A drugs and store cash.

On April 26, the four remaining members who have not yet received a sentence will appear at Luton Crown Court.

Detective Chief Inspector Dowty went on, “We are thrilled that these extremely dangerous men will be behind bars for a considerable amount of time and no longer present a threat to our communities. This is one of the most significant operations our unit has ever been involved in.”

“This OCG showed no consideration for the harm their actions were causing and was only driven by greed and profit. Detectives found messages that suggested they could be willing to kidnap and even kill those who stood in their way, which emphasizes how important it was to capture them.